The Czech Foreign Ministry has advised Czech nationals in Lebanon to leave the country as the violence escalates between Israel and Hezbollah.

On Saturday, the Israeli government said it had killed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, with the Israeli Defence Forces posting on X that he would “no longer be able to terrorise the world”.

It comes after a series of massive explosions levelled multiple apartment buildings in Beirut on Friday night.

There are currently 98 Czechs registered in the Drozd travel system in the Middle Eastern country.

Ettie Higgins, Unicef’s deputy representative in Lebanon, said “thousands and thousands” of people had fled southern Beirut, while hospitals were “overwhelmed” and water pumping stations had been destroyed.

“Even the most basic essential services of healthcare and water are now being rapidly, rapidly depleted,” she added.

“There was already a humanitarian crisis in Lebanon given that it’s been hosting over 1 million refugees from Syria for over a decade, so it’s rapidly escalating into a catastrophe.”

The Israeli army chief, Lt Gen Herzi Halevi, told troops on Wednesday that ongoing airstrikes were “to prepare the ground for your possible entry and to continue degrading Hezbollah”.

In Brussels, European Commission spokesperson Peter Stano said leaders will discuss the ongoing evacuation efforts at a UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday night in New York.

Stano added that if there is a need for coordinated evacuation, the EU is ready to act.

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